There is no doubt that the Covid-19 pandemic has shaken the entire world, and every industry in it. For many of us, working from home and having to subscribe to Zoom or Skype for regular meetings has been pretty manageable, except for the occasional dog barking or tv show in the background.
As for the legal industry, the biggest hit was the closure of the courts.
Backlogs push towards legal tech
With hearings, depositions and trials canceled, lawyers were left in a stagnant state, with many law firms forced to shut down, and state and local courts reaching an inevitable increase of case backlogs.
Luckily, the long overdue adaptation of technology in the legal industry allowed for operations within court proceedings to continue. The use of video conferencing for remote hearings, virtual notaries, digital documents, e-signatures, and e-filing have been necessary for many lawyers to function during the pandemic.
Bonus spike for overworked attorneys
Despite the setback in the beginning of the pandemic, for insurance lawyers, employment attorneys, bankruptcy attorneys and most notably, corporate attorneys business has been non-stop.
Many law firms are now experiencing an overhaul in workload for their associates, with Big Law (aka, the largest, prestigious law firms in the United States) attorneys having to work 100+ hours a week. To make up for the long hours to burnt out attorneys, Big Law companies will give out up to $164,000 in bonuses by the end of the year according to BigLaw Investor.
The splurge of retention and sign-up bonuses from Big Law’s finest to recruit young talent from previously unsought locations has caused a wage war between the corporate giants and has made it difficult for small firms to compete in recruiting new young talent.
Solo practitioners excelling
To combat overworking 7 days a week, some associates have moved to smaller firms and many are even starting their own private practice. People are now seeking out specialized attorneys for their specific needs because they are more attentive, accessible and responsive than larger firms that would charge double.
With the freedom to control their own workload and schedules, many solo practitioners have also started outsourcing legal support services to help grow their bottom line. Small firms and solo practitioners are hiring legal marketing firms to help them establish their clientele as well as are adapting to the use of Automated Intelligence services for document processing, data allocation, reporting, data validation and customer data management.
Solo practitioners are also benefiting from the use of meeting room and office space rentals.
How meeting room rentals help solo practitioners
With hybrid office and remote work options, attorneys can perform the majority of their work from home and take advantage of office rental agencies, such as Prime Executive Offices, that provide private offices and meeting room space for them to meet with clients on a part-time, as needed basis.
Tom Beener, a current tenant at Prime Executive Offices, has had a 4-decade long law career providing legal service in corporate and business law, mergers, acquisitions, contracts and tax law.
“Solo and small firms have an advantage because clients are now less concerned with how big the office building is, the view, the corner office,” Beener said. “Clients want the work done at a reasonable price, a place to park when they arrive, a conference room to conduct business; these are components of what a place like Prime Executive Offices offers.”
Prime Executive Offices also offers virtual offices perfect for solo practitioners to establish their presence at its prestigious Carlsbad business address while having the convenience of available meeting room space at the same location.
During the pandemic, Prime Executive offices has played an important role in supporting its attorney clients by providing value priced private offices, virtual offices and meeting room services. They hope to help attorneys focus on their cases and attend to their clientele at a manageable and organized scale by continuing to provide affordable services.
